[Care plan for patients with locked-in syndrome]

We present a case and a Care Plan of a patient with Locked-in Syndrome. This is a disease of vascular origin, s characterised by a severe paralysis of the whole body, but not of the mind, as the intellectual faculties remain intact. We emphasise the importance of the development on the part of the professionals who take care of these patients and their communicative abilities, as they are essential in their treatment, for the satisfaction of the patients, their families and the professionals themselves. Communicating with these patients is a major challenge for professionals, who have to make use of their creative and communicative skills, which are essential for treatment to the satisfaction of patients themselves, their families and the professionals. We must also take into account the family involvement in the patient care. The union between the family and the patient is of vital importance in establishing a trusting relationship. During the development of our nursing duties, we must not forget the training the main caregiver must acquire to satisfy the main needs of the relative in the hospital, and at home in the future. Working together with the family is very important at all times, identifying the primary caregiver--although the support received by all is beneficial--and setting a series of common objectives to evaluate the progress of the case. It is about partnership: patient, family and professionals, must all establish a communication system adapted to each case by paying attention to the signals that the patient sends, and making use of an appropriate scale to interpret them suitably.